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Overview

“A dark and twisty psychological thriller that straddles the question of what it means to be human.” —Kirkus Reviews

Two sisters. One death. No memories.

Cora should remember every detail about the night her stepsister, Hannah, fell down a flight of stairs to her death, especially since her Cerepin—a sophisticated brain-computer interface—may have recorded each horrifying moment. But when she awakens after that night, her memories gone, Cora is left with only questions—and dread of what the answers might mean.

When a downward spiral of self-destruction forces Cora to work with an AI counselor, she finds an unexpected ally, even as others around her grow increasingly convinced that Hannah’s death was no accident. As Cora’s dark past swirls chaotically with the versions of Hannah’s life and death that her family and friends want to believe, Cora discovers the disturbing depths of what some people may do—including herself.

With her very sanity in question, Cora is forced to face her greatest fear. She will live or die by what she discovers.

Product Details

About the Author

Sarah Fine is the author of Beneath the Shine and several popular YA series, including Of Metal and Wishes, The Impostor Queen, and Guards of the Shadowlands. Her adult series include Servants of Fate and Reliquary. Sarah’s stories push boundaries and blend genres in unique ways, giving readers mind-twisting tales and vivid, unforgettable characters. And while she promises that she is not psychoanalyzing those around her, she manages to use both her talent as a writer and her experience as a psychologist to great effect.

Sarah has lived on the West Coast and in the Midwest, but she currently calls the East Coast home. She confesses to having the music tastes of an adolescent boy and an adventurous spirit when it comes to food (especially if it’s fried). To learn more about the author and her work, visit www.sarahfinebooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2017Gr 8 Up—A refreshing take on science fiction. The year is 2069—robots are commonplace and surveillance is everywhere. How is it that no one knows how Hannah Dietrich died? This book follows Cora Dietrich as she tries to reconstruct the night of her stepsister's death. Cora was found standing over Hannah's body, but her memories of the night are gone. Everyone suspects that Cora did it, even Cora herself. But there are pieces of the puzzle that no one else knows and it might take help from an unlikely source to put them together. The novel's opening is compelling, and the story continues its fast pace. Cora serves as an unreliable narrator and readers will be captivated by the "did she/didn't she" narrative. However, some of the science fiction details may leave readers confused. The artificial intelligence elements of the story aren't as well drawn. Robots play a key role, but their inner workings are glossed over in favor of a discussion of free will. These parts seem out of place with the rest of the narrative. Still, this is a great choice for fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars or Meg Wolitzer's Belzhar who are looking for something with a science fiction twist. VERDICT A sci-fi mystery with an unreliable narrator that would be at home in most YA collections.—Alexandra Patterson, Mercersburg Academy Library, PA

School Library Journal

2017-08-27A girl struggles to remember her involvement in her stepsister's death, aided by an artificially intelligent therapeutic companion.White teen Cora Dietrich can't remember much of what happened the night her stepsister, Hannah, (also white) fell down the stairs to her death. They'd both been drinking, but Cora was far more intoxicated. An advanced camera nodule on her temple called a Cerapin could have captured everything, and the girls' home AI, Franka, could have called for help, but both were turned off before the fall. As the new girl in town, Cora's painted as suspicious by Hannah's friends, and she's certain that Gary, Hannah's father, believes she murdered his daughter. Cora won't help with the investigation, so Gary enlists the aid of a state-of-the-art therapeutic companion AI named Rafiq. Cora is quickly bowled over by handsome, olive-skinned Rafiq since he offers respite from her ever surveilling parents. Rafiq helps Cora uncover the truth of that night, all the while unraveling the secrets of the sisters' fraught relationship as he reviews Hannah's archive of Cerapin videos. Told through Cora's and Rafiq's perspectives, the story offers an intimate exploration of Cora's claustrophobic world and Rafiq's burgeoning autonomy. Readers will be hooked by the mystery and compelled by Cora's and Rafiq's distinctly surprising trajectories. Rafiq's coloring and Muslim name go unexplored in the text. A dark and twisty psychological thriller that straddles the question of what it means to be human. (Science fiction. 14-adult)

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